< more recent | 1-7 August 2017 | older >
4 AUGUST 2017: The heatwave here continues to be unbearable and folks are mostly trying to stay cool however they can. The earth is cracked and dry in places and a lot of the fields seem parched. Still, there is something so beautiful about the rural landscapes here. Rows of sunflowers standing tall in defiance of the heat, seemed like a perfect image as the afternoon sunlight gave them a vibrant glow …
2 AUGUST 2017: Took a route along backcountry roads through the gentle rolling hills of this part of Serbia into the Đerdap National park. Had just enough time to get a sense of the rugged cliffs surrounding the Danube, which is the border between Romania and Serbia. We will definitely return to this region for a more focused trip, but enjoyed the spontaneity of randomly following the river …
1 AUGUST 2017: We have been hiking in the early morning and late afternoon as these are the only times it is even bearable. The woods offer some shade and there are some excellent berries ripe for picking as long as we are careful of the thorns. Did an interesting navigational exercise trying to determine our location without a map or compass, just using landmarks and relative position and distance. We came out right on target (sort of — a thick wooded area full of thorn bushes made us have to “go around” and resection further than we wanted to, but our calculations had been correct about our position, so we considered it successful)…
THIS MONTH:
Heading to Serbia in to help with the plum harvest in the village and enjoy the natural beauty of the countryside…
Trail Guiding for the 9th annual Topless for Tatas Charity Wheeling Event at Rausch Creek off-road park 11-13 August. TFT brings together off-roaders from all over to raise awareness about Breast Cancer and raise funds for the American Cancer Society. Last year’s event raised over $30,000 for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation…
Heading back to the southwest for some very hot desert time later this August, with some familiar trails and a few new destinations to explore.
COMING UP SOON:
Going to RebelleU for some refresher dunes training in September. Rebelle U was established by veteran off-road racer and Rebelle Rally-founder Emily Miller, to help women learn, build, sharpen, and refine off-roading skills in authentic environments designed for them to excel. The training program offers 1-4 day driving and navigation classes in southern California aimed at preparing women to take on vehicle-based adventure.
Planning is underway for a scouting mission into a new region of exploration for USnomads — the famed Silk Road across Central Asia. More details to come as specifics are worked out.
ABOUT ĐERDAP NATIONAL PARK
The Đerdap national park in northeastern Serbia sits on the edge of the Danube, across from Romania. Stretching along the right bank from the Golubac fortress to the dam near Novi Sip, Serbia, it covers 157,620 acres. Home to four majestic gorges 800 meters high the park also contains important archaeological sites at Lepenski Vir as well as Roman monuments like Trajan’s Table. However, the main attraction is the incredible natural beauty of the Đerdap gorge – the famous Iron Gate – the grandiose gateway through the southern slopes of the Carpathian mountains. The 100 km (62 mi) long gorge is actually a compound river valley made up of four gorges separated from each other by ravines. The Danube is the longest natural river gorge in Europe, and there are some beautiful wilderness areas to discover here.
Nesconset | Belgrade | Sedona | Tremont
MORE NOTES FROM THE ROAD:
July – NY and Serbia
June – NY and Paris
May – Wheelers Overland
22-30 April – Algeria
15-21 April – Algeria
8-14 April – Algeria
1-7 April – AOAA
March – Long Island
February – Sand dunes and Paris
January – El Camino del Diablo and more
December – Roadtrip
November – Paris
October – Rebelle wrap up
1-7 Oct – NY to Reno
26-30 Sep – Rally Prep
19-25 Sep – Long Island
12-18 Sep – Yuma and Glamis
5-11 Sep – Sedona
29 Aug – 4 Sep – Long Island
23-28 August – Rod Hall Drive Training
15-22 August – Reno Rebelle Training
8-14 August – TFT8
1-7 August – Serbia overland
July – Serbia, Rally planning
June – Mongolia
Archive
SPECIAL REPORT
A look into south-eastern Algeria on the border with Libya and Niger: overlanding with the Tuareg in one of the most remote corners of the Sahara … [read]
SPECIAL REPORT
Detailed series on a solo scouting journey into some of the remotest backcountry around Moab. The six day 450-mile off-pavement trip into the Maze district of the Canyonlands National Park offers insight into the challenges of expedition planning… [read]
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